Night Dance

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Inuyasha or it's characters.

Chapter 1

Kagome grumbled to herself as she dusted the imaginary specks of dirt from her rather disheveled appearance. Really this was past the point of idiocy. Who in their right mind would ever think of asking the clumsy, two left-footed Kagome to attempt such an impossible task? She only knew that it had to be some sort of sick joke from the kami, who seemed to delight in making her squirm.

Still, she should be able to overcome this stupid feat, even if only by a hair. After five years of traveling through the ancient Feudal Era, battling ferocious, power hungry demons, and dealing with an overstuffed half demon, perverted monk, and an undead priestess, she couldn't accomplish a simple two step dance?

It hadn't been too long ago that her friend Yuka, had asked her to be the maid of honor at her upcoming wedding. Kagome had had no qualms about being honored in such a way, her only problem was with the silly idea that Yuka and her husband hoped Kagome and Hojo, the best man, would dance together. After all these years, her friend was still hung up on the idea of her and Hojo being the 'perfect couple.' (Aside from Yuka and her fiancé of course.) Never really wanting to be rude, Kagome had agreed to the ludicrous idea, without taking the fact that she couldn't dance into consideration.

So that left her alone, in one of the clearings close to her campsite with nothing but her iPod and her bruises to keep her company through this horrifying ordeal. Sighing, Kagome removed her iPod from the case attached to her left arm, hit the 'back' button, then placed the device back in its casing, and proceeded to complete the dance with no faults.

Kagome placed her hands in the appropriate places of her imaginary dance partner, and started to move. Her steps were awkward and faulty, but she had yet to actually mess up. Her feet moved along the grassy floor swiftly to the music playing in her ears. Kagome recalled the class she had taken previously, trying to imitate the fluid and graceful steps of the more experienced dancers.

She smiled a small smile as she started to gain more confidence, allowing her steps to become more firm and sure. Suddenly she felt a strong demonic presence smother her own. The sharp power of the aura caused her focus to waver momentarily, resulting in her left foot tripping over her right, sending Kagome tumbling to the ground.

"Ughh!" she moaned, while pulling herself into a sitting position. "I just can't win!" Kagome spotted her iPod laying on the forest floor, its wires completely tangled. She grasped the instrument and proceeded to untangle the mess, but after a few minutes she simply threw the device towards the other side of the clearing and crossed her arms. Kagome knew she was being childish but she had just began making progress.

"This is stupid, I can't dance and refuse to make a fool out of myself for the amusement of others!" Crossing her arms Kagome continued her griping when she suddenly remembered the presence which had caused her current predicament.

Scanning the clearing around her she couldn't see anything or anyone around, but her senses told her otherwise. Somewhere in the surrounding trees and bushes, there was a demon, and a powerful one. Picking herself up off the ground, Kagome was grateful she no longer had to wear her school uniform, because her mother would undoubtedly have to buy a brand new one once again upon seeing its now tarnished and tattered appearance. Jeans and a tee shirt were so much more functional anyway. Slowly and cautiously she started in the direction she knew her camp lay. After a minute of walking though, she stopped and cursed herself. She had forgotten her iPod!

Kagome knew full well it was a stupid idea to walk back and get it, but if her mother were to find out she had simply thrown her birthday gift out of frustration into a field and then left it there…

The thought made her sigh.

Turning around she quickly stretched out her miko powers before she steeled her nerves and made her way back to the clearing. Kagome spotted her iPod shining slightly amongst the black grass. Fireflies had come out of their hiding spots and cast an eerie glow amongst the forest, the lack of moon in the sky adding to their effect. She reached her iPod and gingerly picked it up, while folding the earphones around the body of the device. She then proceeded to turn around and run back to camp when a rustle in the bushes surprised her and sent her stumbling backwards to the ground, causing the iPod to fly out of her hands and land a few feet away.

Once again sitting up, Kagome eyed the new location of the evil device. You are so not worth all of this trouble you stupid little thing. She was about to once again peel herself from the forest floor, when a large white object in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She went rigid and gulped when she seen a pair of white kimono pants only a few feet from her. Her eyes traveled up the rest of the white attire slowly before she was then met with a pair of dangerously beautiful golden amber eyes. The slight amusement in them was evident, although his face gave no sign of any such emotion.

Sesshoumaru.

Oh, shit. She dared not move, fearing he might find some insignificant reason to kill her for such an action.

Drawing in short, uneven breaths, she watched as Sesshoumaru moved his eyes from her, to the odd object, then back. She couldn't help the slight gasp that escaped her when he spoke. "What kind of inanimate object could you find so important miko, that you would willingly risk your human life?" he asked while slightly raising one elegant eyebrow at her.

Kagome was shocked to hear him addressing her, even more so he was asking her a question. Although I guess it makes sense that he wants some answers before he kills me.

She stilled slightly, before giving him what she hoped was a good explanation, that wouldn't lead to more questions.

"It's a device of mine which allows me to hear music wherever I go, without the need for people to be playing any instruments."

Kagome grew slightly irritated when she watched another flicker of amusement pass through his golden eyes. She found no humor in the matter whatsoever.

"And what would prompt you to be all alone in the night, while listening to such a device?"

Kagome's cheeks changed to a slightly pink hue. This would undoubtedly be an embarrassing explanation. "I was…teaching myself to…dance." she mumbled softly. Raising an eyebrow at her statement caused Kagome to sigh, assuming he wished for her to elaborate.

"My friend is having a wedding, and she asks that I know how to dance for the occasion."

She knew that nothing would probably top this humiliating moment, throughout the rest of her mortal life. Sesshoumaru continued on.

"Am I to assume that you failed in your attempts?" Forgetting who she was talking to, Kagome growled and pushed herself off the ground. She was already in a foul mood and she did not need him to make the matter worse. "Yes, you are correct to assume so demon. Excuse me if us poor, weak humans are incapable of learning how to accomplish everything perfectly within a matter of seconds!" she shouted, roughly shoving her hands on her hips.

However, instead of killing her, or making any move to hurt her, he simply smirked. Kagome's mouth hung open slightly. This was weird. The Sesshoumaru she knew would have killed her the second she had raised her voice to him, not smirked! She chalked it up to the fact that he probably found pleasure in messing with 'weaker' beings. Sicko. The thought made her eyes narrow. Choosing to ignore her outburst, he spoke again. "Would you be able to successfully accomplish this dance of yours, if you had a partner?"

At this she narrowed her eyes further. Surely he was toying with her now, but what would he have to gain by that? It can't be that much fun to mess with a weak human…

Nodding her head slowly, she nervously waited to see what he was going to do next. Finally Sesshoumaru took two steps forward, bringing him within arms reach of Kagome. Her stance wobbled slightly, preparing to run. Instead he extended his right hand to her. She eyed his hand suspiciously, and then looked him straight in the eyes. Surely he wasn't offering to help her of all people? "Why help such a lowly human Sesshoumaru?" she asked.

He answered without withdrawing his hand. "I do not explain my actions, miko." he replied simply. "I did not ask why you and my half brother felt the need to wander into my lands." Kagome frowned. Were they in the Western Lands? Inuyasha had always been so adamant about staying away from these parts… Either way, she wasn't about to give in, he was still her supposed enemy, and her guard wouldn't be let down so easily.

"It is to my understanding that such a dance isn't even… common among demons." She finished lamely. Making a noise she assumed to be his version of a sigh, he responded. "The dance which you refer to is very common indeed, I assume it to be the same dance from watching your impressive previous attempts at mastering it." he stated, sarcasm dripping from his words.

So he had been watching her had he? Nosy demons.

Still unsure, she tried to think of some way to get out of this potentially dangerous situation. There was no way that this was safe, even in the slightest.

Having run out of questions, Kagome eyed his hand warily before she slowly lowered her hand into his. He grasped it, careful of his claws. Surprisingly his hand was soft and warm, against all her predicted theories of him being made of ice. The calluses she expected from years of sword fighting were not there. Stepping closer, he slowly placed his hand around her waist, while she cautiously placed hers on his shoulder. Subconsciously Kagome noted how odd it felt being held so gently by one who had a reputation for being so callous.

Allowing him to lead, they slowly started moving around the clearing all the while trying to keep count of her steps. Kagome's eyes kept trailing down to watch her feet. She really didn't want to see what would happen to her if she stepped on his foot. A shudder crawled up her spine at the thought.

After a few moments passed she became more sure of herself through the repeated process, allowing her muscles to loosen. Even though he wasn't saying anything she somehow felt him guiding her. He wasn't actually that bad of a teacher, not like she had expected anything else from him besides his usual perfection.

Her eyes slowly drifted up to meet his. His normally cold eyes were glowing brightly, seemingly piercing right through her. She found herself unable to remove her eyes from his as he continuously lead her around the clearing with as little effort as possible. Sesshoumaru lead her with such precision, it didn't feel like she was doing any work at all. It was an odd sensation for someone who wasn't used to such grace.

After a few moments, she felt herself slowing and eventually stop, signaling the end of the dance. She stood still, attempting to catch her breath while he still had his arm encircled around her. "I can't believe it…" She looked back up at Sesshoumaru, not a hair out of place. His eyes continued to bore into hers and she huffed slightly. Suddenly a loud yell broke their attention. Sesshoumaru growled slightly. "My annoying half brother is coming." he stated, slowly releasing her from his hold. Kagome looked in the direction of where she had heard the noise, then looked back to him, only to see he wasn't there.

At that moment, Inuyasha broke through the trees. "Oi! Wench what's taking you? You've been out here for a long time." Kagome blinked her eyes once at the spot where Sesshoumaru had been standing moments before, and then turned her attention to the half demon. "Umm, I was just practicing?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his puffed up chest. "Feh, from what I saw these last couple days you probably need all the help you can get." Narrowing her eyes at her friend she gave him a look he had seen far too may times. "Sit boy."

The pleasing sound of face hitting dirt rewarded her ears before walked to her neglected iPod. She picked it up and then walked back to Inuyasha, her senses told her that Sesshoumaru was already long gone.

They arrived back at camp to find everyone sleeping. Kagome strode straight over to her sleeping bag and got in, careful not to disturb Shippo, while Inuyasha hopped into his nearby tree. When she was settled in, Kagome pondered over the strange encounter she and Sesshoumaru had shared.

He hadn't been acting like himself… Not that she knew him well enough to know what he was like to start with. From all the encounters they had had she had built him up to be a cold hearted, ruthless killer who never failed to dispose of anyone who was in the way of something he wanted, no matter how small said thing may be. Maybe he had changed somewhat over the five years since she had first met him? Maybe that young human girl he cared for had softened the stone exterior and melted some of his ice heart? Or maybe he had always been this way?

Yawning slightly, Kagome brushed the scenario off and began trailing off into a much needed sleep. She had lived through the ordeal so what else mattered?

—

Deep amber eyes watched the group quietly from the treetops above. Narrowing his eyes as they landed on the miko, the demon lord replayed his interaction with her in his head. He wasn't entirely sure why he had helped the woman with her predicament. He knew his half brother had been in the vicinity, but knowing the hanyou's poor senses he wouldn't have picked up on his aura.

His scout of the area around his camp was interrupted when he had caught her scent, the fact she was so far away from her group had piqued his curiosity.

Watching her attempt to dance with herself would have been a sight to make any person laugh, had that person not been the demon lord himself. He had been ready to leave the miko to her task had it not been for his instincts that had pushed him to aid her. As a well trained daiyoukai he had always been pushed to follow those instincts…Why they would have involved a human, a miko nonetheless, was another matter entirely. The last and only other time that had happened was with Rin.

Seeing his half brother tense and scan the surrounding forest, Sesshoumaru turned to take his leave. He took one last look at the girl before heading back to his camp. He knew this would not be the last time he seen the fiery miko.

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